Americans captured by Russia detail months of beatings, interrogation
TRINITY, Ala. — Alex Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh evaded Russian forces for hours, slogging through pine forests and marshes in Ukraine to avoid detection. The U.S. military veterans were left behind — “abandoned,” they said — after their Ukrainian task force was attacked, and determined that their best chance of survival was to hike back to their base in Kharkiv.
What followed was an excruciating, often terrifying 104 days in captivity. They were interrogated, subjected to physical and psychological abuse, and given little food or clean water, Drueke and Huynh recalled. Initially, they were taken into Russia, to a detention complex dotted with tents and ringed by barbed wire, they said. Their captors later moved them, first to a “black site” where the beatings worsened, Drueke said, and then to what they called a more traditional prison run by Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
TRINITY, Ala. — Alex Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh evaded Russian forces for hours, slogging through pine forests and marshes in Ukraine to avoid detection. The U.S. military veterans were left behind — “abandoned,” they said — after their Ukrainian task force was attacked, and determined that their best chance of survival was to hike back to their base in Kharkiv.
What followed was an excruciating, often terrifying 104 days in captivity. They were interrogated, subjected to physical and psychological abuse, and given little food or clean water, Drueke and Huynh recalled. Initially, they were taken into Russia, to a detention complex dotted with tents and ringed by barbed wire, they said. Their captors later moved them, first to a “black site” where the beatings worsened, Drueke said, and then to what they called a more traditional prison run by Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s parliament is expected to approve the so-called treaties on annexation Monday and Tuesday, after which Russia will consider the annexation of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk to be complete. Western leaders have referred to orchestrated annexation votes as a “sham.”
- Annexation means Donetsk and Luhansk forces would be incorporated into the Russian military, the Russian ruble would be introduced, and Ukrainians could become Russian citizens, after an oath of loyalty to Russia, said the chairman of the State Duma committee on construction and legislation.
- Ukraine celebrated retaking the town of Lyman, which Russian troops used as a key logistics hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region since their arrival this spring.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday cautioned Russia against following through with escalatory nuclear threats, which he said were “irresponsible.”
More live updates here.
- Russia’s parliament is expected to approve the so-called treaties on annexation Monday and Tuesday, after which Russia will consider the annexation of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk to be complete. Western leaders have referred to orchestrated annexation votes as a “sham.”
- Annexation means Donetsk and Luhansk forces would be incorporated into the Russian military, the Russian ruble would be introduced, and Ukrainians could become Russian citizens, after an oath of loyalty to Russia, said the chairman of the State Duma committee on construction and legislation.
- Ukraine celebrated retaking the town of Lyman, which Russian troops used as a key logistics hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region since their arrival this spring.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday cautioned Russia against following through with escalatory nuclear threats, which he said were “irresponsible.”
More live updates here.
In Zaporizhzhia, Russia controlled a referendum but not hearts or minds
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to declare his annexation of Zaporizhzhia and three other regions stretching across southeastern Ukraine, here in the regional capital, Ukrainian flags still fluttered above government buildings on Thursday, and Ukrainian officials still scurried through the halls.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement that Putin would sign “accession treaties” at a ceremony in Moscow at 3 p.m. on Friday, the 10,000-square-mile province of Zaporizhzhia is neither under full Russian military nor under full administrative control of Russia’s proxies.
Ukraine still holds roughly a quarter of the region, including Zaporizhzhia, the capital city, located on the Dnieper River in the northwest corner. The regional administration is paying salaries, including in occupied cities.
Read the full story here.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to declare his annexation of Zaporizhzhia and three other regions stretching across southeastern Ukraine, here in the regional capital, Ukrainian flags still fluttered above government buildings on Thursday, and Ukrainian officials still scurried through the halls.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement that Putin would sign “accession treaties” at a ceremony in Moscow at 3 p.m. on Friday, the 10,000-square-mile province of Zaporizhzhia is neither under full Russian military nor under full administrative control of Russia’s proxies.
Ukraine still holds roughly a quarter of the region, including Zaporizhzhia, the capital city, located on the Dnieper River in the northwest corner. The regional administration is paying salaries, including in occupied cities.
Read the full story here.
Zelensky hails advances as open recriminations intensify in Russian media
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the full recovery of a strategic town in eastern Ukraine on Sunday as a public brawl intensified in Russia over responsibility for the latest setback to the Kremlin’s goal of conquering wide swaths of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Kyiv’s Western backers hailed the advance of Ukrainian forces into areas Moscow has declared will soon constitute part of Russia.
Zelensky said the town of Lyman, which Russian troops used as a key logistics hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region since their arrival this spring, was completely “cleared of the Russian occupiers” as of midday local time, the Defense Ministry said on Twitter.
The president’s statement came a day after the Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged it had been forced to withdraw troops from Lyman “to more advantageous lines.”
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the full recovery of a strategic town in eastern Ukraine on Sunday as a public brawl intensified in Russia over responsibility for the latest setback to the Kremlin’s goal of conquering wide swaths of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Kyiv’s Western backers hailed the advance of Ukrainian forces into areas Moscow has declared will soon constitute part of Russia.
Zelensky said the town of Lyman, which Russian troops used as a key logistics hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region since their arrival this spring, was completely “cleared of the Russian occupiers” as of midday local time, the Defense Ministry said on Twitter.
The president’s statement came a day after the Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged it had been forced to withdraw troops from Lyman “to more advantageous lines.”
Read the full story here.
In two more staged votes, Russian parliament moves to ratify annexation
Russia’s rubber-stamp lower house of parliament, the State Duma, unanimously approved President Vladimir Putin’s bills on Monday, according to speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, formalizing the illegal seizure of four regions of Ukraine in a vote that was never in doubt.
The upper house, Russia’s Federation Council, is expected to formalize the annexations, which violate international law, on Tuesday, and the measures will then be signed by Putin. The moves signal to Ukraine and its supporters that Moscow sees the seizures as irreversible.
The votes took place as video emerged of Ukrainian forces planting their flag in Myrolyubivka, a settlement in the Kherson region, after Ukraine gained more ground overnight in counteroffensives. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry later published video of Ukrainian forces raising the national flag in another settlement, Zolota Balka, in the Kherson region.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s rubber-stamp lower house of parliament, the State Duma, unanimously approved President Vladimir Putin’s bills on Monday, according to speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, formalizing the illegal seizure of four regions of Ukraine in a vote that was never in doubt.
The upper house, Russia’s Federation Council, is expected to formalize the annexations, which violate international law, on Tuesday, and the measures will then be signed by Putin. The moves signal to Ukraine and its supporters that Moscow sees the seizures as irreversible.
The votes took place as video emerged of Ukrainian forces planting their flag in Myrolyubivka, a settlement in the Kherson region, after Ukraine gained more ground overnight in counteroffensives. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry later published video of Ukrainian forces raising the national flag in another settlement, Zolota Balka, in the Kherson region.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s so-called annexation treaties unanimously passed the rubber-stamp lower house, the State Duma, on Monday.
- The Kremlin said Russia would “consult” with the populations of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson to determine the exact borders of the territories Moscow hopes to absorb as its own.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the “successes of our soldiers are not limited to Lyman,” referencing other liberated settlements without naming them in his Sunday night address.
- Russian officials are probably struggling to provide training and find officers to lead new units amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilization, the British Defense Ministry said Monday.
- In his Monday briefing, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, “With numerically superior tank units in the direction of Zolota Balka and Oleksandrivka, the enemy managed to forge deep into our defenses,” the Associated Press reported.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s so-called annexation treaties unanimously passed the rubber-stamp lower house, the State Duma, on Monday.
- The Kremlin said Russia would “consult” with the populations of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson to determine the exact borders of the territories Moscow hopes to absorb as its own.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the “successes of our soldiers are not limited to Lyman,” referencing other liberated settlements without naming them in his Sunday night address.
- Russian officials are probably struggling to provide training and find officers to lead new units amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilization, the British Defense Ministry said Monday.
- In his Monday briefing, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, “With numerically superior tank units in the direction of Zolota Balka and Oleksandrivka, the enemy managed to forge deep into our defenses,” the Associated Press reported.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- After Ukrainian victories near Kherson, the Kremlin’s forces in the strategically key southern city are “in a defensive crouch,” a senior U.S. military official told reporters Monday. Kherson sits by the Dnieper River and serves as a gateway to Ukraine’s western Black Sea ports and Russian-held Crimea to its south.
- Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, is expected to formalize illegal annexations of four regions in Ukraine’s east and south on Tuesday. The lower house, the State Duma, approved the annexations Monday. The moves signal that Moscow sees the seizures as irreversible.
- A Russian court set Oct. 25 as the appeal date for Brittney Griner, the WNBA star being held in Russia for drug possession, the Associated Press reported. In August, she was sentenced to nine years for having vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
More live updates here.
- After Ukrainian victories near Kherson, the Kremlin’s forces in the strategically key southern city are “in a defensive crouch,” a senior U.S. military official told reporters Monday. Kherson sits by the Dnieper River and serves as a gateway to Ukraine’s western Black Sea ports and Russian-held Crimea to its south.
- Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, is expected to formalize illegal annexations of four regions in Ukraine’s east and south on Tuesday. The lower house, the State Duma, approved the annexations Monday. The moves signal that Moscow sees the seizures as irreversible.
- A Russian court set Oct. 25 as the appeal date for Brittney Griner, the WNBA star being held in Russia for drug possession, the Associated Press reported. In August, she was sentenced to nine years for having vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
More live updates here.
Refuting annexation, Ukrainian forces push on from Lyman toward Luhansk
LYMAN, Ukraine — The Ukrainian soldiers waved, hooted and raised their fists in triumph as they drove out of the strategic eastern city of Lyman on Monday, riding M113 armored personnel vehicles provided by Western countries. They passed eight corpses of enemy Russian soldiers who died trying to run from a Ukrainian counteroffensive that swept through the area and is still going, putting the lie to President Vladimir Putin’s annexation claims.
The bodies were bloated, and some had open mouths, as if still wearing an expression of shock. At the moment the Ukrainian troops were driving by, the dead Russians were being unceremoniously placed into black bags.
Sitting atop a tank several yards away, Leonid, a soldier with Ukraine’s National Guard, pondered Russia’s plans to send more 300,000 more men to Ukraine. “They’re going to need a bigger grave,” Leonid said.
Read the full story here.
LYMAN, Ukraine — The Ukrainian soldiers waved, hooted and raised their fists in triumph as they drove out of the strategic eastern city of Lyman on Monday, riding M113 armored personnel vehicles provided by Western countries. They passed eight corpses of enemy Russian soldiers who died trying to run from a Ukrainian counteroffensive that swept through the area and is still going, putting the lie to President Vladimir Putin’s annexation claims.
The bodies were bloated, and some had open mouths, as if still wearing an expression of shock. At the moment the Ukrainian troops were driving by, the dead Russians were being unceremoniously placed into black bags.
Sitting atop a tank several yards away, Leonid, a soldier with Ukraine’s National Guard, pondered Russia’s plans to send more 300,000 more men to Ukraine. “They’re going to need a bigger grave,” Leonid said.
Read the full story here.
Elon Musk tweets ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine. Chaos ensues.
Elon Musk, as he often does, fired off some tweets on Monday. This time, he took aim at the Russia-Ukraine war — asking via a Twitter poll if his followers approved of a four-point peace plan to end the conflict.
The internet was not impressed.
Musk’s proposal set off a firestorm online, drawing in Ukrainian diplomats, Russian officials, fans of the billionaire entrepreneur and even a couple of presidents. It came the same day as Russia’s parliament voted to formalize Moscow’s illegal annexation of four regions of Ukraine, following staged referendums in the territories last week.
Read the full story here.
Elon Musk, as he often does, fired off some tweets on Monday. This time, he took aim at the Russia-Ukraine war — asking via a Twitter poll if his followers approved of a four-point peace plan to end the conflict.
The internet was not impressed.
Musk’s proposal set off a firestorm online, drawing in Ukrainian diplomats, Russian officials, fans of the billionaire entrepreneur and even a couple of presidents. It came the same day as Russia’s parliament voted to formalize Moscow’s illegal annexation of four regions of Ukraine, following staged referendums in the territories last week.
Read the full story here.
Ukraine hammers Russian forces into retreat on east and south fronts
Ukrainian troops on Tuesday accelerated their military advances on two fronts, pushing Russian forces into retreat in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to the east and Kherson region to the south.
The gains showed Kyiv continuing to recapture occupied territory on the same day that President Vladimir Putin and his rubber-stamp parliament sought to formalize their increasingly far-fetched annexation claims of four Ukrainian regions.
“The Ukrainian armed forces commanders in the south and east are throwing problems at the Russian chain of command faster than the Russians can effectively respond,” said a Western official who requested anonymity to brief reporters about sensitive security information. “And this is compounding the existing dysfunction within the Russian invasion force.”
Read the full story here.
Ukrainian troops on Tuesday accelerated their military advances on two fronts, pushing Russian forces into retreat in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to the east and Kherson region to the south.
The gains showed Kyiv continuing to recapture occupied territory on the same day that President Vladimir Putin and his rubber-stamp parliament sought to formalize their increasingly far-fetched annexation claims of four Ukrainian regions.
“The Ukrainian armed forces commanders in the south and east are throwing problems at the Russian chain of command faster than the Russians can effectively respond,” said a Western official who requested anonymity to brief reporters about sensitive security information. “And this is compounding the existing dysfunction within the Russian invasion force.”
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russian forces “are in a defensive crouch” after Ukrainian victories near Kherson, a senior U.S. military official told reporters Monday.
- The U.S. State Department on Tuesday authorized $625 million in new military assistance to Ukraine.
- Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, ratified the illegal annexations of the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine’s east and south Tuesday.
- Zelensky hailed “new liberated settlements in several regions,” saying recent wins reflect a “growing understanding that Russia made a mistake by starting a war against Ukraine.”
- A Russian court set Oct. 25 as the appeal date for Brittney Griner, the WNBA star held in Russia for drug possession, the Associated Press reported.
More live updates here.
- Russian forces “are in a defensive crouch” after Ukrainian victories near Kherson, a senior U.S. military official told reporters Monday.
- The U.S. State Department on Tuesday authorized $625 million in new military assistance to Ukraine.
- Russia’s upper house, the Federation Council, ratified the illegal annexations of the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine’s east and south Tuesday.
- Zelensky hailed “new liberated settlements in several regions,” saying recent wins reflect a “growing understanding that Russia made a mistake by starting a war against Ukraine.”
- A Russian court set Oct. 25 as the appeal date for Brittney Griner, the WNBA star held in Russia for drug possession, the Associated Press reported.
More live updates here.
OPEC and its allies move to slash oil production by 2 million barrels a day
A coalition of oil-producing nations led by Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday it would slash oil production by 2 million barrels per day, a move that could push up gas prices worldwide and worsen fears of a global recession.
The coalition said the cut in production would take effect in November. This would be the first time the group cut oil production targets since the beginning of the pandemic.
Wednesday’s move was much more aggressive than most analysts had expected and reflects the oil producing nations’ desire to stem the recent drop in global prices. By sending energy prices higher, the cut could also help Russia — which relies on gas and oil sales for a large portion of its budget — finance its war on Ukraine, which the U.S. has sought to undercut. Higher energy prices could also weaken the resolve of other countries, which have supported Ukraine in trying to repel Russia after the invasion.
Read the full story here.
A coalition of oil-producing nations led by Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday it would slash oil production by 2 million barrels per day, a move that could push up gas prices worldwide and worsen fears of a global recession.
The coalition said the cut in production would take effect in November. This would be the first time the group cut oil production targets since the beginning of the pandemic.
Wednesday’s move was much more aggressive than most analysts had expected and reflects the oil producing nations’ desire to stem the recent drop in global prices. By sending energy prices higher, the cut could also help Russia — which relies on gas and oil sales for a large portion of its budget — finance its war on Ukraine, which the U.S. has sought to undercut. Higher energy prices could also weaken the resolve of other countries, which have supported Ukraine in trying to repel Russia after the invasion.
Read the full story here.
‘I refuse to comply,’ says Russian journalist, days after escaping house arrest
In her first remarks since fleeing pretrial house arrest earlier this week, Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova said she considers herself “completely innocent” and issued a call for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be isolated from society and put on trial.
“Since our state refuses to comply with its own laws, I refuse to comply with the measure of restraint imposed on me in the form of house arrest, and I release myself from it as of September 30, 2022,” Ovsyannikova posted to Telegram from an undisclosed location Wednesday.
“Respected employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service, put such a bracelet on Putin,” she said in a video, referring to the electronic tracking device she has been forced to wear on her ankle by Russian officials.
Read the full story here.
In her first remarks since fleeing pretrial house arrest earlier this week, Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova said she considers herself “completely innocent” and issued a call for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be isolated from society and put on trial.
“Since our state refuses to comply with its own laws, I refuse to comply with the measure of restraint imposed on me in the form of house arrest, and I release myself from it as of September 30, 2022,” Ovsyannikova posted to Telegram from an undisclosed location Wednesday.
“Respected employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service, put such a bracelet on Putin,” she said in a video, referring to the electronic tracking device she has been forced to wear on her ankle by Russian officials.
Read the full story here.